Land of Saints Graciano | 2021

I'm a huge fan of Graciano, a late ripening, climate change game-changer that has very good acidity and endless brown curls of spice. Typically seen in Rioja, this pure expression by Angela Osborne comes from Santa Barbara's Santa Ynez Valley. Super limited and hard-to-find, I really hope Angela makes more of this. In the glass a crimson hue unlocks bright notes of cardamom rose, sweet clove, cinnamon roll, and coffee spice. The fruit is dark red, leaning into blues, and the mouthfeel is bursting and buoyant. Just a fun and tasty wine, with the right amount of quirky, Graciano offers a lot of pleasure, especially when you're pairing wine with food. Think Chinese, Indian, Caribbean, and surely, Lebanese. ~Allegra A